1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a barbecue grill and more particularly to an adjustable barbecue grill apparatus that includes a grill surface that is adapted to easily and quickly expand or decrease in length for innately providing an increased or decreased cooking surface and/or increase or decrease in height, consequently providing a customized and comfortable fit for the particular cook. Inherently providing a grill that will enable a cook to efficiently and successfully accommodate any amount of food by rendering a cook to utilizes the desired amount of grill space for optimizing the cooking process for the comestibles on the grill surface.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is undeniable that food cooked on a grill is not only deliciously but also provides a healthy means of preparing comestibles. Many find that grilling produces tasty cuisine, at the same time providing the act of grilling to be an easy and enjoyable task. Thus, it is not surprising that most homes today do have one form or another of a grill. Grills come in a variety of shapes, sizes, forms and even being configured for a specialized task, such as smoking.
To aid and assist the cook, devices have been developed for improving on a variety of grilling apparatus. For example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,481,964 issued to Kitten there is disclose a barbecue pit that is designed and configured to improve the process of barbecuing by providing a barbecue pit that will providing even heat distribution in the even by providing an oven that is rarely opened. Thereby preventing the smoke and heat to escape therefrom. To enable such a configuration, this grilling apparatus comprises an oven and a firebox mounted upon a frame. Access to the oven is provided for by a rack opening wherein a rack rolls in and out of the oven on rollers and features a series of doors which close the rack opening of the oven when the doors are properly aligned.
For food which require different heat for successful cooking a grill is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,390 issued to Ceravolo wherein there is disclosed is a food support grid that is adjustable both vertically and rotatively so as to provide for the food to be position at a certain location above the heat source.
Yet another example of a device which does not drastically disrupt the cooking temperature when inspecting the cooked food is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,118 issued to Rinehart. In this patent there is disclosed a grill having a grate or tray which is sidably mounted on tracks. This grate or tray is pulled horizontally outwardly from the interior of the housing for rendering an inspection of food in a smoke-free environment.
To address the concerns of flames that can develop as drops of fat fall into the heating chamber of a grill, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,628,896 issued to Baynes discloses a barbecue grill featuring a moveable grid. This grid can be shifted horizontally to move the meat away from the heating chamber, and once the flames subside can be replace thereon at the desired position.
Accordingly, it is seen that there exist a numerous styles of grills, each address a specialized concern or problem generally associated with grilling. What is not disclosed is a grill that includes a means of adjusting, either by increasing and/or decreasing the particular cooking surface. In addition, the prior is silent to a means of adjusting the height of the actual grill for consequently providing a grill that can easily be transportable as well as convenient to the user. As can be seen, what is needed is a grill apparatus that will successfully and efficiently accommodate any amount of food without adversely affecting the time, space, energy and fuel used with the cooking particular of the particular amount of food.
As will be seen, the present invention achieves its intended purposes, objectives and advantages by accomplishing the needs as identified above, through a new, useful and unobvious combination of component elements, which is simple to use, with the utilization of a minimum number of functioning parts, at a reasonable cost to manufacture, assemble, test and by employing only readily available material.
The present invention is a unique multifunctional portable barbecue grill that is designed and configured to expand in order to increase the total size the cooking surface of the particular grill. In addition, for convenience and added comfort, the mainframe of the grill can be altered in sized to provide for a comfortable height for the cook as well as provide for an easy means for storage and transportability.
In order to provide for such a configuration, the present invention comprises a support frame that maintains housing. The support frame and housing each include an inner member and an outer member. The inner member being slideably mounted within the outer member. As such, the outer member of the support frame includes a horizontal support arm and a pair of vertical legs attached to a side thereof. The outer support arm includes an opening, which forms a sleeve for receiving and maintaining a support arm of the inner frame. A second pair of vertical legs is attached to the opposite side of the inner frame. In use the inner arm will slide into the sleeve of the outer arm and the legs of the inner and outer supports will maintain the grill body of the present invention. For ease of adjustment and for ease in transportability, each leg can include lockable wheels.
The inner member of the housing is attached to the inner arm. Thus, as the arm is slid outward, the inner member of the housing will inherently slide outward. The inner member and outer member of the housing each include a lower section and an upper section. The lower section maintains the heating element, such as lava rocks for gas grills or coals for charcoal grills. The lower section of the inner member includes an access means for allowing access to the interior for permitting maintenance to occur as necessary. Hindgedly secured to lower section is the upper section. This upper section acts as the lid and as such each includes a handle for lifting the lid and apertures for ventilation. A thermostat or the like can also be located on each lid for displaying the temperature within the housing. A shelf or the like can be exteriorly attached to the housing of the inner frame member, outer frame member or a combination thereof.
To enable the slideable connection of the housing, the inner member is substantially the same shaped, but smaller in size to allow for inner member to slide freely into the outer member. A locking device can be attached to provide for the inner member to be in a locked and secured position once the desired length is met.
Removably secured the lower section of the inner and outer housings is a grate. The outer grate member includes a plurality of parallel disposed hollow sleeves. Slideably located within each sleeve is a rod. As the inner frame is pulled outward, the housing is inherently adjusted horizontally, causing the rods to be removed from the hollow sleeves. Once at the desired located, the housing and/or frame are locked into position, and the sleeves and rods form the cooking surface. Thus providing for the sleeves and rods to form the grate.
For enhancing the present invention, the legs on the inner and outer frame member can be adapted to be adjustable vertically. To provide for such an adjustment, conventional adjusting means can be utilized. Thereby, providing a grill that can be used by any individual, regardless of size and height, as well as provide for a grill that can easily be transported and stored.
Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to provide a multifunctional portable barbecue grill that includes expandable capabilities so as to provide for a grill apparatus that will overcome the deficiencies, shortcomings, and drawbacks of the prior art and methods thereof.
Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention is to provide a novel and unique multifunctional portable barbecue grill which is adapted to easily and efficiently adjusted in length so as to innately increase the cooking surface of the portable grill.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a multifunctional portable barbecue grill apparatus that is easy to operate, successful in grilling regardless of its size and one that will safely allow for alternating size differences.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a multifunctional portable barbecue grill apparatus that is lightweight, adjustable in height, and one that is completely portable.
A final object of the present invention, to be specifically enumerated herein, is to provide a portable expansion barbecue grill in accordance with the preceding objects and which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to use so as to provide a device that would be economically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble free in operation.
Although there have been other barbecue grills, none of these inventions utilize a means of extending the cooking area of the grill as disclosed with the present invention. In addition the present invention will prove to be sufficiently compact, low cost, and reliable enough to become commonly used. The present invention meets the requirements of the simplified design, compact size, low initial cost, low operating cost, ease of installation and maintainability, and minimal amount of training to successfully employ the invention.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and application of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the detailed description of the preferred embodiments in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.